Why Trump Won: Minor Foreign Policy Case Study – Phillipines

The ‘proper’ way

The Philippines has filed a low-key diplomatic protest with China after a U.S. think tank reported that Beijing appears to have installed anti-aircraft and anti-missile weapons on its man-made islands in the strategically vital South China Sea, the country’s top diplomat said Monday. Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay said the diplomatic communication was issued after the report came out last month. The Center for Strategic and International Studies report said anti-aircraft guns and weapons systems designed to guard against missile attacks appear to have been placed on all seven of China’s newly created islands.
Yasay told CNN Philippines that Manila had responded, but did so quietly.”We have taken action on that, we have issued a note verbale,” he said, referring to a diplomatic communication that is issued in the third person and is not signed. It is considered less formal than a letter of protest.”I just want to assure the Filipino people that when we take action at engaging China in this dispute, we do not want to take such aggressive, provocative action that will not solve the problem,” he said. “We cannot engage China in a war.”

As we might guess, meanwhile in Beijing

Trump manner of engagement:

“We have rebuilt China, and yet they will go in the South China Sea and build a military fortress the likes of which perhaps the world has not seen,” Trump said. “Amazing, actually. They do that, and they do that at will because they have no respect for our president and they have no respect for our country.”

Rex Tillerson told his confirmation hearing before the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee that China’s building of islands and putting military assets on those islands was “akin to Russia’s taking Crimea” from Ukraine. Asked whether he supported a more aggressive posture toward China, he said: “We’re going to have to send China a clear signal that, first, the island-building stops and, second, your access to those islands also is not going to be allowed.”

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal published on Friday, Trump said the “One China” policy was up for negotiation. China’s foreign ministry, in response, said “One China” was the foundation of China-U.S. ties and was non-negotiable.

Trump broke with decades of precedent last month by taking a congratulatory telephone call from Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen, angering Beijing, which sees Taiwan as part of China.

The American people innately recognize that the ‘proper’ methods, the so-called ‘presidential’ appearance, have since Sept 1945 achieved VERY LITTLE for them in their lives.

Like the Democrats, busy forging an UNFORGIVABLE change, and precedent WHICH WILL BE REPEATED WHEN THE TIME COMES BY REPUBLICANS (I PROMISE YOU), in the body politic at the moment the nation should be as one for the peaceful civilian change of power, foreign leaders have NO IDEA WHAT THE FRONT DOOR IS GOING ON.

I have repeated the anecdote of US Grant at the Wilderness. I will do so again.

“Oh, I am heartily tired of hearing about what Lee is going to do. Some of you always seem to think he is suddenly going to turn a double somersault, and land in our rear and on both of our flanks at the same time. Go back to your command, and try to think what we are going to do ourselves, instead of what Lee is going to do.”

This is Trump. He will compel other nations to worry about WHAT HE IS GOING TO DO, what WE are going to do.

Initiative.

‘Sorry China, you want one China policy by the USA? You balance your trade to fair trade, and STOP island grabbing and island militarization where there is all that gas and oil below and nearby and claimed by 5 nations most of whom are OUR allies, AND (whispering to America) >>all that GP building those DF-21’s, J-20’s, J-31’s, 052D’s, 094a’s, and 054’s? FUGGETABOUTIT’.

Crude. Nervy. Somewhat scary. Uncomfortable.

Get used to it,

We are the disruptor.